Mini Anderson's
by Emmy-Mae92
Summary: Prequel to 'Meet The Anderson's', can be read separately. Snapshots of the lives of the Anderson brothers growing up with each other and getting into the various mischievous situations that only the brothers could find themselves in.
1. Welcome To The Family

**Mini Anderson's**

**Hey guys, this is a prequel to my story 'Meet The Anderson's', they should make sense in any order though. Hope that you enjoy them this and let me know what you think :)**

**Welcome To The Family**

"They look like wrinkly, angry red blobs."

Cooper quirked an eyebrow at the hushed whisper, his cool blue eyes flickering over to the door where his newborn baby brothers' should have been sleeping in peace. Shaking his head with a small smile the thirteen year old gently pushed open the door, watching Pippin support Jude while he climbed up on the side of the crib, Reed clinging to Austin's back, one thumb jammed in his mouth as they peered over the other side.

Clearing his throat, the eldest Anderson chuckled softly in amusement as the four younger brothers spun to face him, terror written on their faces.

"Coopy!" Reed cried, waving both hands towards the teenager so that Austin squeaked and just managed to fling his arms up to catch Reed to stop his younger brother from toppling backwards into the crib with the snoozing babies.

"Shhh, shh," Cooper murmured, striding into the room and grabbing the two year old from Austin's back, the five year old visibly wilting in relief.

"What are you guys' doing in here?" Another voice hissed from the doorway, the brothers' each turning in shock to find Elijah walking into the room with an armful of clean laundry, Noah and Lucas hot on his heels.

"We just wanted to see the babies," Jude murmured quietly, his childish innocence and curiosity shining in his emerald eyes.

"Yeah, they're our brothers too and we're never allowed to look," Pippin pouted, leaning into Noah's arm when his older brother got closer, gazing interestedly into the crib himself.

"Well don't say that I didn't warn you when Nanny Penny comes in and throttles you all," Elijah whispered, placing the laundry on one of the unused rocking chairs and edging closer himself. "I can't believe they're four weeks old and I think this is the first time I've actually seen them up close."

"I wanna see too," Lucas squeaked, stamping his foot and glaring, somehow managing to look about as intimidating as a puppy.

"Come over here then Champ," Cooper chuckled, sitting Reed on the edge of the crib and grabbing the eight year olds arm to hurry him closer. The eight older brothers' stared down in wonderment at the two tiny new lives in their family, pure glee covering each of their faces.

"We gots to protects them right Coopy?" Jude asked, his big green eyes turning to his oldest brother as Elijah sat him on the crib in the way that Cooper had sat Reed.

"Yeah we do." Cooper murmured, his shining sapphire eyes never leaving the two tiny bundles in the crib.

"Is nobody gonna answer my question?" Austin huffed from where he was swinging on the crib to the side of Cooper and Reed.

"Going to." Elijah corrected automatically, ignoring Austin's eye roll. "And what would your question would be?" The twelve year old chuckled, one eyebrow raised as Cooper burst into silent laughter.

"He wanted to know why they're all wrinkly, red and angry looking."

"Oh god." The currently taller, yet younger brother shook his head, giggling slightly, feeling the six pairs of eyes from his younger brothers' on him, "That's just what all babies look like when they're newborn. They're just sleepy, not angry." Rolling his own brown eyes, Elijah instructed Noah to thump Cooper on the back when he couldn't catch his breath due to laughter, the young brunette teenager shooting him a thumbs up when he regained his composure.

"I didn't look like that!" Pippin yelped, looking confused.

"Yeah, you're right, you looked worse because you were bigger," Cooper cackled, Elijah dropping his forehead into his hands and muttering in despair.

"Well that's just mean," Pippin muttered with all the seriousness of a five year old before turning away with a sniff, Cooper now howling with soundless laughter and blatantly ignoring the seriousness with which Pippin was making the accusations.

Rolling his eyes once more, Elijah pulled a tissue from his pocket and held it in front of Pippin's nose with a slight grimace, "Blow kiddo." Pulling a face when Pippin had finished blowing his nose, the pre-teen quickly scurried across the room to put it in the bin, a giggling Jude still in his arms. "The things we do for you lot," He muttered, blowing a raspberry on Jude's cheek.

A stirring from the crib had every brother's head whip round, Jude scrambling out of Elijah's arms to take up his position beside Pippin, watching as one of the babies stretched his arms up above his head, his little hat falling off and black curls appearing in little wisps. Cooper grinned when the little boy's eyes hazel blinked open, gazing around all of the faces surrounding the crib, a soft little cooing noise flowing from his mouth.

"He's singing," Jude cried excitedly, Lucas steadying him with a beam when he off balanced, almost falling from the crib.

Laughing, Cooper handed Reed to Elijah with a smile before leaning into the crib.

"Coop, is this really a good idea?" Elijah muttered, his wide eyes shooting between the door and his big brother.

"It's fine, we've been carrying Reed around since he was this age."

"Yeah but Nanny Penny is scary," Noah whispered, his own eyes trebling as Cooper gently lifted the baby from the crib.

"All of our Nannies have been scary," Cooper grinned, "We're just waiting for the twins to scare this one off too." He chuckled as everyone turned to Austin and Pippin, now stood side by side and wearing matching looks of innocence.

"Who us? We're angels." They quoted with matching grins before high fiving each other.

"That gets creepier the older they get," Elijah murmured. He tenderly placed Reed down on the floor, letting him race to where Cooper now sat, his back to the crib, cradling the baby boy close to his chest as he continued to coo quietly to himself. Smiling, Cooper stretched out his spare arm, just managing to catch the hurtling two year old with one arm.

Reed's head fell automatically to Cooper's shoulder, his little feet kicking against the floor as his hair flopped into his eyes. "Baby," He giggled, one hand playing with the edge of the baby's blanket.

"What's his name Coop?" Lucas asked, wide eyed as he dropped down beside Cooper. Gently he took hold of the baby's hand, grinning when tiny fingers wrapped around his pinky.

"Did they not even tell you that before they left again?" Cooper stuttered, a horrified look crossing his features.

"Nope," The six younger brothers' chorused, Elijah muttering under his breath about incompetent parents and Nannies.

Lucas shrugged slightly, dropping down beside Cooper's feet and crossing his legs as he tried to peer over the blanket. "Mama said it was nothing to do with us and Nanny Penny just keeps telling us to leave them alone before we corrupt them too." The tanned boy frowned slightly, glancing to his older brother, "What does that mean Coop?"

"That we have suckish parents and a worse Nanny."

"Well duh," The twins chorused, Cooper smiling woefully at them before turning his attention back to the small bundle in his arms.

"This boys' is the our youngest brother, Blaine Devon Anderson."

"How can you tell? Aren't they identical?" Noah queried, collapsing beside them as the other brothers' swarmed closer.

Cooper grinned, flicking the edge of the navy blue blanket the baby was wrapped in over to show the red stitching on the edge. "It's on his blanket, and I know Blaine's the youngest. Plus he's slightly smaller"

A gurgle from the crib made them all jump, the other baby clearly awake as Cooper motioned for a nervous Elijah to pick him up. Taking a deep breath, the twelve year old did so warily, before he fell to the floor beside Cooper.

"And this is his slightly older twin brother Bentley Darren Anderson."

"Wait, but who's older out of me and Austin?" Pippin questioned, forehead creased in concern.

"Duh, we're twins, we were born at the same time." Austin answered with an exaggerated sigh.

Pippin raised an eyebrow, "Well they're twins too."

"Oh well they're just not as good twins as we are then."

"Okay, that makes sense," Pippin nodded thoughtfully, failing to catch the amusement on Cooper, Elijah and Noah's faces.

"They're so little," Lucas breathed quietly, unable to tear his gaze away.

Noah smiled, playing gently with Bentley's fingers. "Do you not remember when Reed was this size?"

"Me?" Reed squealed, one finger jabbing his own chest as his brothers' laughed at him lovingly.

"PIPPIN JAMES ANDERSON, AUSTIN JEREMY ANDERSON WHERE ARE YOU?" A voice thundered from up the hall.

"What'd you do?" Noah yelped, all of the brother's eyes fixed onto the doorway.

"We put Jam and Igor in her bed," The twins answered in unison.

Cooper spluttered slightly, "The tarantulas?"

"Yes."

"Oh god, we're dead. Like we're actually dead this time, I mean this one's going to kill us all," Elijah groaned.

Hearing the footsteps Cooper shut his eyes standing with Blaine in one arm and Reed in the other. "Closet. Everyone, now, move it." Ushering the twins forward, he watched Elijah push Jude and Lucas towards the door before he turned to his older brother.

"And the babies Coop, what do we do with them? We haven't got time to settle them in the crib again."

"They're our brothers' aren't they?" Cooper grinned, "What better way to get them started." He chuckled quietly as Elijah groaned, following him closely into the tightly packed closet. "Okay, bad idea, I cant breathe." Eyeing the top shelf, Cooper carefully placed Blaine in Elijah's free arm before lifting Reed, Jude and Lucas up to the top, tasking Lucas with keeping the other two still.

"She's going to find us. We're going to die at the hands of a psychopath Nanny that's just had to deal with two tarantulas." Elijah muttered, panic filling his face, glaring at the older set of twins shooting him angelic faces from where they were sat on an empty toy box.

Rolling his eyes, Cooper hit Elijah over the back of his head, much to the amusement of the younger brothers'. "Breathe Lij, we're going to be fine."

"Cooper, when are Mama and Daddy coming home?" Cooper glanced up to look into Jude's sad eyes hovering above him.

"Sit back kiddo," He murmured quietly, pushing his brother back until Lucas grabbed hold of him, pulling him close. "The answer is I don't know unfortunately. They're in Barcelona, I think," He muttered, glancing to Elijah for confirmation, taking Blaine back into his arms as he did so. "Apparently Mama needed some time to herself."

"She's always by herself though, 'cause she's never here," Pippin rolled his eyes, sulking slightly.

"Yeah, I know," Cooper sighed softly, running a hand through Pippin's wild midnight black curls, smiling when the boy leaned into the touch, his own cerulean eyes flickering up to meet Cooper's matching ones.

Stood in companionable silence, the brothers' all jumped when the door to the nursery slammed open. Jude and Reed whimpered, burrowing closer to Lucas, while Noah latched onto Cooper's side and each of the older twins grabbed one of Elijah's jean cladded legs. The eldest two boys' gently shushed the babies in their arms, neither of who seemed too pleased by the loud noise interrupting the quiet that had just about settled.

"Where are you boys'?" The elderly woman snarled as she moved into the room. Glancing into the crib, her face turned from one of anger to terror. "No, no, no, not again. I can't have lost babies again. They can't even move yet." Scurrying around the room, she looked under cushions, blankets and toys before running from the room muttering to herself. Cooper and Elijah shooting each other confused and slightly scared looks.

"Has she been drinking?" Elijah mouthed to Cooper when they were finally able to leave the closet, sure the Nanny was gone.

Cooper shrugged from where he was lifting Jude down from the shelf, "God knows. Mom and Dad apparently don't know how to hire normal people to take care of their children."

"She told us to find somefing to do 'cause she was gonna see her best fwend," Jude smiled, leaning against Elijah.

Elijah smiled at the little boy slightly, "Something, because, going to and friend, okay?"

Jude nodded sleepily, "Okay Lij."

Humming contentedly, the second oldest picked the little boy up, allowing Jude's head to fall to his shoulder as he passed Bentley to Cooper to place back into the crib with Blaine. "Now, did she say the name of her best friend?"

"Jack Daniels," The four year old yawned.

Cooper's head snapped up from where he was leaning over the crib, his eyes catching on Elijah's worried ones. Scooping Blaine back up, he sighed when the baby squirmed in his hold, quickly moving to place him in the car seat and wrap him up, following the same routine with Bentley once the youngest Anderson was settled. Kneeling down, he motioned for his younger brothers' to all come closer. "I need you guys' to stay away from Nanny Penny for me, okay?" Waiting until they all nodded, he smiled softly. "Come to me or 'Lijah if you need anything, anything at all, no matter what time of day or night it is. Now, why don't we go see what ice cream we can steal from Pierre and then go camp out on the trampoline with it?" Grinning when the boys' eyes all lit up, he raised a finger to his lips, "We've got to be super, super quiet though, Nanny Penny can't know about it." Waiting for them all to nod once more, he opened the door and let them all rush out, turning back to Elijah who was still holding a drowsy Jude.

"What do we do?" The younger brother whispered, eyes wide with fear.

Reaching for his younger brother, Cooper sighed softly pulling him in for a hug and kissing Jude's curls gently. "Same as ever Elijah, we keep them and each other safe until the twins drive her out or I can get in touch with Mom and Dad and get her replaced."

Elijah nodded slightly, sighing, "It shouldn't be like this."

"No, it shouldn't, but we have each other and we'll always have each other."

The younger snorted, "Have you been watching the Lifetime channel again Coop?"

"It's a great way to hone my acting skills by acting out the scenes."

"Dweeb," Elijah snorted, sweeping out of the room with Jude.

"Dingbat," Cooper called after him quietly, grabbing the two carry seats and following his brothers'. Laughing, he glanced down to the two sleeping babies with a grin. "Welcome to the family Benny and Blaine."

**Hope that you liked this one, I have about fourteen of these in total, so let me know if you're interested in me continuing these. They'll be more like snapshots throughout the boys' growing up, focusing on Bentley and Blaine mainly.**


	2. Twinkle Toes

**Mini Anderson's**

**Hey guys! It's been almost a year since the first part of this was originally posted and I am so sorry that it's taken so long to getting around to posting more! Anyway, I hope that you'll still enjoy these little glimpses into the Anderson boys growing up.**

**Twinkle Toes**

"You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" Jude giggled, his little feet dancing in patterns as he twirled and bopped his way down the hallway. The seven year old laughed harder, waving Blaine's teddy bear behind him when he disappeared through a doorway.

Laughing and dragging a squealing Blaine along, Lucas picked up the speed of his feet, side eyeing his baby brother to make sure he could keep up. "Come on Blainey Boo, we need to rescue Baba!" Grinning at the enthusiastic nod he received in return for his comment, Lucas swung Blaine up under one arm and kept running, the toddler's squeals and giggles growing ever louder.

Turning through the doorway, the pair came crashing to a stop against the barrier that was Jude's back. Lucas managed to twist the duo swiftly on instinct when his socked feet slipped out from under him, Blaine landing on his stomach, winding the pre-teen momentarily.

"Twinkle toes why you stop?" Blaine whined, pouting at Jude and unmoving from where he was comfortably sat on Lucas.

Jude's wide green eyes turned to look back at him, terror flashing in them as he pointed silently to the table where a man was sat staring at the children with cold, unforgiving eyes.

Quickly, Lucas sprang to his feet, gently pushing Blaine and Jude slightly behind him. "Father," He murmured lowly, ducking his head away from the man' steely gaze.

"What did you just call him?" The man growled, advancing on his cowering sons and pulling the three year old out from behind his brother's back. Pulling him forward, the Father held the toddler's tiny upper arms in a vice like grip that had the young boy squirming and whimpering slightly. "What did you call Julian, Blaine Devon? I asked you a question and I expect a god damn answer right now!"

"Jude go get Coop," Lucas hissed, trying to push the shaking curly haired boy from the room. "Jude now." Feeling the seven year old release the back of his t-shirt, he flickered his deep brown eyes to the sound of Jude's small feet pitter pattering out of the kitchen, one of his arms still gripping Blaine's teddy bear closely.

"For the last time Blaine Devon, what did you call him?" The boys' Father barked once more, shaking the three year old slightly until he cried out.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Lucas howled, tears coursing down his rosy eleven year old cheeks as he watched their Father hold his baby brother upright once more.

"I calle' him twinkle toes," The little boy whimpered softly, his eyes trained on the floor. Lucas winced when Vincent glared at Blaine's obvious problems of saying the letter 'd', the older man snarling softly when his young son mispronounced words.

"And why would you do that?"

"Erm," Blaine raised his eyes slightly, quickly lowering them again when they met his Father's hard grey ones. Shrugging slightly in Vincent Anderson's tight hold the boy sighed, "'cause he likes to 'ance and erm…the TV says it?"

"Was that a question or are you telling me that's why?"

"That's why," Blaine whispered, still squirming slightly.

Vincent stood back to his full height, gazing in disgust at his youngest son. "The only time Julian will be dancing from now on is if a girl asks him to. No son of mine is going to be a faggot, do we understand that?" Blaine nodded in agreement, confusion crossing his tiny features as he raised a finger to his mouth, fidgeting with his feet until he was stood on the sides of his shoe. "Stand up straight and stop fidgeting when I'm talking to you boy." Blaine's eyes widened, instantly going ramrod straight as he stared up at the giant of a man with petrified eyes, Lucas following suit a moment later. "You will repeat me Blaine Devon. No Anderson boy will be a faggot."

"No Anerson boy will be a faggot," Blaine muttered still looking deeply confused, Lucas shuddering to hear the word being repeated, let alone to come out of the youngest Anderson's mouth.

"Very good, now I think you have to be punished for potentially putting those thoughts in Julian's head, don't you?" Blaine nodded once, his eyes never once leaving his Father's self-righteous face. "Good, I want you to complete six laps of the garden at full speed, any slacking off and it'll be another three for every minute you do, have you got that?"

"Yes Father."

"Good," The oldest Anderson nodded, pushing the boy out of the door and locking it behind him, motioning for him to get moving.

"Dad one lap is like two miles long, he's three." Lucas whispered, his eyes watching Blaine's little figure battle against the howling wind and rain as he did what his Father had asked of him, shivering in just a t-shirt and jeans.

Vincent Anderson rolled his eyes, sitting back at the kitchen table and unfolding his newspaper to the financial section once more. "Stay out of this Lucas this has absolutely nothing to do with you. How I punish my sons' is between your Mother and I, so I would do as a good child should and keep quiet unless you want to be punished yourself."

"Yes Sir."

"Very good, now run along."

Lucas fled the kitchen, sobs threatening to break free from his throat as he crashed into Cooper, Elijah and Noah at the bottom of the stairs, Jude clinging tightly to Elijah's side. "Cooper you have to help Blaine, you have to," He sobbed, Noah pulling him into his arms and shooting his sixteen year old brother a worried look.

Cooper crouched to his eleven year old brother's height and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn away from Noah's shoulder to look at his oldest brother. "What's he done this time Lucas?" Gently, Cooper attempted to try and wipe the tears from Lucas's face.

"He's punishing him by making him run round the garden. It's pouring down and he's tiny and…" Lucas broke off once more with hiccoughed sobs, Noah pulling him close and resting his head on top of Lucas's.

Cooper stood up with nothing but fury painted on his face. "Elijah go and run a bath for Blaine, Noah take Jude and Lucas to the older twins room. It's where the others' are as far as I know and Father should be leaving in the next half hour so we can hide out there until then." Turning on his heel, Cooper stormed towards the kitchen, Elijah scooping up Jude in his wake, ushering his three younger brothers' up the stairs and shooting worried looks at the kitchen door.

* * *

><p>Cooper slammed through the kitchen door, a furious expression on his face, "What the hell are you doing?"<p>

"Language Cooper Jason," The boys' Father snapped, placing his paper neatly on the table and standing in front of his livid son, "And I'm punishing Blaine, not that it is any of your business what I do or don't do."

"Father he is three years old," Cooper said angrily, eyes finally catching on Blaine's small figure rounding the bottom of the garden.

"And if he doesn't learn now he'll never learn."

Shaking his head in exasperation, the sixteen year old stared incredulously at his Father. "Stop, just stop, you're going to kill him if you keep that up. Let him go and punish me later in his place instead, okay? He's a kid. This is just pure cruelty."

"Yes he is just a child. One that you're clearly not teaching well enough."

"Yeah because that's my job," Cooper muttered under his breath, glaring at the man and pushing past him wrench open the door and run down the large garden, scooping a wheezing, trembling Blaine up into his arms.

"Coopy, no he say I have to…"

"You don't Blaine. You're okay, you're going to be okay," Cooper whispered softly, wrapping his own hoodie around the boy as he headed for the back door, trying to stop the sob bubbling in his throat when the toddler gave a violent shudder. "You're okay, you're okay."

Reaching the bottom of their staircase, Cooper raised an eyebrow at the eight brothers' waiting for them there once more. Quickly he handed Blaine over to Elijah who immediately took off up the stairs, Jude hot on his heels. Gratefully, the sixteen year old accepted the towel that Noah handed him and started towel drying his drenched hair, trying to ignore the scared hazel eyes watching him from the bottom step as Bentley stared at him.

"Coopy?" Cooper's eyes closed slightly before he turned to look at Bentley, Blaine's scared expression mirrored in his identical face. Turning to the young boy, he opened his arms, smiling slightly when Bentley barrelled straight into them. "Will Blainey be okay?"

Gently kissing the top of the boys' curls, Cooper nodded his head against the top of Bentley's. "Yeah," He croaked, "He will be Benny, I promise, I'll make sure you're both okay." Glancing to find similar expressions on each of his brothers' not currently with Blaine, Cooper smile widened slightly and he opened his spare arm, revelling in the feeling when he suddenly found himself with armfuls of his younger brothers'. "I'll make sure you all are."

* * *

><p>Cooper jolted awake with a start, sighing in annoyance and putting down the sheet of history homework that had decided to stick itself to his cheek. Running his hands absentmindedly down his chest, the sixteen year old carefully switched off his desk lamp and attempted to shove his homework into a haphazard pile where he could forget about it until morning, he had the rest of winter break to worry about it in anyways. Squinting at the figures on his clock until he could finally work out that they read that it was past eleven pm, the teenager pushed backwards from his desk, allowing the chair to roll smoothly towards the door. Grabbing the zip up hoodie from the back of his door, the teenager slipped it on over his bare chest, pulling his sweat pants up slightly with another large yawn, frowning when they simply fell down the few inches he had managed to yank them up.<p>

Expecting the peaceful silence that only fell in the household when his younger brothers' were finally all sleeping, he frowned at the light beaming from the kitchen doorway, a rustling sound floating up the stairs. Shaking his head gently, Cooper paused at Elijah's room, telling his fifteen year old brother to give up trying to perfect a piece of biology homework that Cooper would attempt to help him with in the morning, before setting off on his quest downstairs to find out which of the munchkins' that should have already been asleep had decided a midnight feast was in order.

Rounding the corner to the kitchen, the blue eyed teenager stretched, immediately spying the little footstool by the light informing him that it was one of his youngest brothers'. Spotting Blaine hovering over a floorboard he had managed to pull free, Cooper ran a hand through his hair carefully, sliding down the island in the centre of the room and pulling his knees up to his chest. He watched Blaine closely as the young boy snuggled his teddy bear tightly, carefully placing a photograph that Cooper couldn't make out and a brochure for the ballet, that Elijah had brought home from Dalton for Blaine and Jude to look through, into the hole where the floorboard should have been.

Glancing up, the small boy started slightly when he saw Cooper watching him, staring back with curious eyes. "Coopy?" Blaine whispered, crawling into Cooper's lap when the boy automatically lowered his knees for him and playing with the drawstring of his zip up hoodie.

Cooper smiled softly at the boy, placing one hand on the small of his back to keep him steady. "Yeah B?

"What's a faggot?"

Cooper blanched, a sick feeling spreading through his stomach as he whipped his head up to look at the little boy, "Where did you hear that Blaine?" He asked sharply, pulling the little boy in closer and attempting to turn his head so he would make eye contact.

Blaine however visibly shrunk back, wriggling slightly in Cooper's hold, his eyes wide and his bottom lip trembling. "I'm sorry Coopy. He says it but I not know what it meant."

Cooper sighed running his hand through his hair and drawing his younger brother in tighter still until he was flush to his older brother's chest, his head resting against Cooper's heart as he listened closely to the heartbeat, tiny fingers still playing with the drawstring. "I'm sorry B; I didn't mean to scare you. That is a very, very nasty word that we don't ever, ever, ever say, okay?" Smiling when the boy nodded enthusiastically, Cooper placed a small kiss to his curls. "It's a nasty, mean name to call a man who loves another man."

Blaine's brow furrowed in confusion, his caramel eyes catching on Cooper's, "But why?"

Cooper sighed, messing up his hair again, "Why does a man love another man?"

"No silly," Blaine giggled, sitting back and placing his hands on Cooper's chest. "Why woul' you be mean to someone just 'cause of who they love?" Cooper smiled, marvelling at the three year old in front of him. "Love is love. It's happy. Like when the princess meets a prince but only it's two princes, right Coopy?"

"Right B," Cooper beamed, laughing softly at Blaine's simplistic yet accurate view. "It's just that some people are nasty and they don't like that."

"Well they're silly then," The curly haired boy tutted, lighting up when he saw Bentley's toy Ferrari on the floor beside them and lunging sideways to pick it up, his fingers delicately spinning the wheels.

"Yeah they are. Hey B?" Knowing he was losing the attention of the three year old to the toy car he was now holding, Cooper picked him up and placed him back in his lap, placing two fingers under Blaine's chin to guide his eyes back to his older brother's. "You can be anyone you want to be, okay? And don't you ever let anybody tell you anything different, okay?"

"Okay."

Taking the toy car from the boy, he smiled softly at the whine of protest before standing, turning Blaine upside down in his arms and laughing at the shriek of delight when he tickled the toddler before placing him back down once more. "Come on Squirt, story then bedtime."

"Okay," Blaine whispered tiredly, reaching up to his older brother and snuggling in happily when Cooper picked him back up with an eye roll. Reaching over Blaine placed a kiss on Cooper's cheek. "I love you Coopy."

"I love you too Blainers."

"Can I be Iron Man?" He piped up a moment later, Cooper's eyebrow rising in amusement as he started to ascend the stairs.

"What?" The tall older brother laughed.

"You says I can be anyone, can I be Iron Man when I'm biggerer."

"Bigger," Cooper chuckled softly, automatically correcting the toddler. "And I suppose you can but would you not want to be your own superhero?"

"Nope I wanna be Iron Man."

"Okay then, you can be Iron Man."

Blaine's eyes widened slightly, "Will you be Cappy America?"

"Yes Blaine, I'll be Captain America," Cooper said softly, pecking the top of Blaine's curls and holding the sleepy toddler close.

"Goo'."

"I love you so much Squirt, never change who you are. Although we will get you pronouncing the letter D by the end of the year so help me god." Chuckling softly at the dirty look that the small boy shot his way, Cooper gently lay him on the bed and grabbed a story book, looking quickly to a snoring Bentley before opening the page.


	3. Outnumbered and Outgunned

**Mini Anderson's**

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and favourites/follows for both this and the last chapter of 'Meet The Anderson's', it's awesome to know that you're still interested in these stories! The next 'Meet The Anderson's' should be up later in the week, but for now here's the latest instalment of the minis. I actually had a lot of fun with this one (and yes I have been watching far too much 'Malcolm in the Middle' to get ideas for the troublemaking little Anderson's), I hope that you enjoy it and let me know what you think. I was also wondering if you guys would want the age of each brother put at the beginning or end of each of these snapshots or not? I think that they're all covered in the chapter anyway but I know that the jumping around can get a bit confusing. Anyway sorry for rambling and I hope that you enjoy the chapter.**

**Outnumbered And Outgunned**

"Cooper I'm going out!" Cooper's head snapped up from where he was bent over his coffee, smiling softly at his younger brother as Noah glared steadily back snapping a beanie over his head and kicking up his skateboard from the floor. "That alright?" He questioned suddenly looking unsure of himself.

"Sure kid, go have fun with your friends, you haven't got long left now."

Noah frowned deeply, "Do I have to go to Montana Coop? I'll be extra good, and take on extra chores, but I don't want to go."

Sighing the eldest brother sipped his coffee, eyeing the pleading blue eyed boy closely. "Sorry Noah, I haven't got any control over that. If I did I wouldn't be heading back to Michigan at the end of the summer."

"It's not fair though! Elijah gets to stay near here and go to stupid Dalton. Why can't I just go there?" Noah pouted, folding his arms awkwardly where he was still holding his skateboard. "He still gets to come home all the time."

"I know kid but this is Father's plan, you're off to Montana and in two years Luc will be heading to California."

The young teenager visibly deflated his eyes lowering to the floor, "We're all going to be split up all over aren't we?"

"Of course. That's Sperm Donor's idea of a good time, but hey I've been coming back every holiday for the last three years and it's like nothing's different when I'm back right?" Seeing the younger boy's lips quirk into a small smile and a small shrug roll off of his body Cooper grinned, "Go have fun with your friends for the rest of the summer Noah, they'll still be here when you get back every holiday."

Rolling his eyes, the messy haired fourteen year old bumped his fist against his older brother's with a laugh before disappearing out of the back door.

Cooper shook his head softly glancing at the red toaster as it popped and sighing to himself. Adding the toast to his growing pile he popped two more pieces into the toaster before heading back to his coffee with a yawn, leaning over the Sudoku puzzle he was figuring out. "I'm getting old," The seventeen year old muttered quietly, beaming when he figured out one of the squares he was missing.

* * *

><p>Glancing to the table to make sure that the elder twins were actually behaving and eating their breakfast rather than throwing it at Reed or attempting to feed it to the plant in the corner of the room, Cooper wearily turned back to the stove to finish up the chocolate chip pancakes Jude had asked for. Hearing a crash and yell from upstairs he shook his head, determined to let Elijah handle the youngest twins whilst he tried to tame the elder children sat behind him, all of whom had blatantly ignored any instruction to get dressed before they raced to the table for breakfast. Steadfastly ignoring the noises from upstairs he simply filled plate after plate of food, knowing that he would never believe that his younger brothers could eat more food than he would've thought humanly possible, if he had not been around to witness them shovelling it all in at warp speed.<p>

"Coopy! Coopy!" The eldest Anderson turned around with a raised eyebrow when he heard the four year old shouting his name, just as a naked Blaine with soap suds still dripping from his curls crashed into the kitchen, Elijah hot on his heels with a towel clasped firmly in hand.

"Blaine get your little butt back here," Elijah growled his own t-shirt dripping with water while Blaine laughed and crashed into Cooper's legs, instantly soaking his oldest brother too.

Blaine shook his head vehemently, a cheeky grin adorning his face. "Nuuh," He giggled sliding round behind Cooper and only just peeking to the side. Throwing his hands in the air in defeat Elijah threw the towel at Cooper before turning on his heel and storming out of the kitchen, muttering about annoying toddlers as he headed back up to see what devastation Bentley could possibly still be instigating on his own in the bathroom.

"Well Squirt, you've damn well pissed Elijah off," Cooper chuckled wrapping the towel around his baby brother, rubbing at his dripping curls and pressing a kiss to his forehead before hoisting him onto his hip. Carefully, he carried him towards the table to pour out more orange juice for each of the older boys. Sensing a scrutinising pair of eyes following his every move, Cooper quirked an eyebrow at Reed's irritated expression, "What's up Reedy?"

"You said a bad word," The six year old boy accused.

"Actually he said two bad ones," Jude chimed in eyes flickering up from his piece of nutella smothered toast, tearing off a small piece carefully and handing it to Blaine's grabbing fingers.

Rolling his eyes at his younger brothers, the teenager balanced Blaine in one arm and pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe?" He sighed glaring at the sniggering twins holding out the glass jar.

"Two bucks," They grinned shaking the large jar that had caught out both Noah and Elijah already that morning.

Eyeing up the money Cooper dropped in to the jar Austin beamed with pride, "If you guys keep swearing like troopers all summer we'll have enough money for Disney World by Christmas." Smirking he hi-fived Pippin before pulling the jar back from the table, "And this beauty doesn't leave our sides. Ever." Pippin shaking his head violently, the duo turned back to shoot Cooper sickly sweet smiles, even as the older brother kept glaring at them.

"Yay 'isney!" Blaine giggled clapping his hands with a squeal and making each of his older brothers laugh.

* * *

><p>"Is it really such a great idea to leave them to amuse themselves?" Elijah questioned, one hand stuck in a bag of chips as his eyes flickered over his book.<p>

Cooper shrugged leaning further over the table to concentrate on his Game Boy Color growling in frustration and pressing random buttons, finally shaking his head in defeat and throwing the game into the middle of the table, glaring steadily at it. "They'll be fine, they're growing up." Eyeing his brother's book, Cooper tilted his head to the side, "Whatcha reading?" Laughing at Elijah's sigh of discontent and eye roll, the older brother offered his own eye roll when Elijah flashed him the front cover of 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.' "Lij, you've read that so many times already you know that?"

The brown eyed teenager shrugged, "I love them and the next one comes out in September so I need to make sure I remember everything."

"You're such a nerd."

"A nerd that could out game you on that thing any day," He nodded towards Cooper's game and turned the page, slotting his bookmark back in place before turning fully to his older brother, folding his legs underneath him on the chair.

"I'd like to see you try. Now do you want to tell me what's been bugging you for the last week or is that stick still stuck firmly up your ass?"

"I hate you sometimes, you know that? Also you owe the twins a dollar for that swear." Elijah hissed glaring at the smirking soon to be high school senior, "Wait, that's why you've left them all to their own devices isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Cooper snorted, "God alone knows what devastation they're creating upstairs. Mom and Dad have the money to fix it though so I'm beyond caring, they should have sorted out childcare for their children before they screwed off to Russia."

"They're in Australia, and you love looking after the youngers. To be fair if Austin hadn't scared off the latest nanny three weeks ago she'd still be here."

"Too true," The older brother sighed, eyes finding the large clock adorning the bright red wall behind Elijah, "Are you going to stop deflecting and tell me what's going on?"

Elijah sighed spiking his hair up and running a hand down his face. "Dad wants me to start escorting debutantes in the next season, apparently it'll make a man out of me."

Cooper stared at Elijah silently for a few moments, before his shoulders started to shake and his head thumped onto the table laughter peeling from him as he gasped for breath. "Sorry Lij but: _You're a spineless, pale pathetic lot, and you haven't got a clue. Somehow I'll make a man out of you."_

Elijah laughed softly, "_I'm never gonna catch my breath. Say goodbye to those who knew me."_

"_BE A MAN."_

"_We must be swift as a coursing river."_

"_BE A MAN."_

"_With all the force of a great typhoon."_

"_BE A MAN."_

"_With all the strength of a raging fire. Mysterious as the dark side of the moon."_

The brothers looked at each other cracking up laughing, both burying their faces in their arms and gasping for breaths, tears rolling down their cheeks.

"Blaine's been making you watch 'Mulan' then?" Elijah grinned, Cooper nodding gravely.

"Three times this week. I'm going to find 'The Lion King' just so hopefully we can have a new obsession," Cooper sighed, shaking his head.

"Every time I came home from Dalton this year the first thing that happened when I got through the door was Blaine shoving that thing into my hands. You'd think that it would be worn out by now I'm tempted to burn it. Seriously though Coop, what should I do? I hate dancing and I hate being the centre of attention."

Cooper shrugged slightly, "Technically the girl you're escorting will be the centre of attention."

"Cooper!" Elijah whined pouting at his snickering older brother.

Smiling slightly, Cooper stepped around Elijah to refill his coffee mug. "Alright, alright. My suggestion? Just don't do it. I hate to say it but Sperm Donor's not going to notice anyway and you're like the teacher's pet, just get one of them to sign something saying that you've signed up for it."

"That's actually genius," Elijah gaped, "That might just work."

"See, not just a pretty face," Cooper teased, downing half of his mug in one go.

The sound of crashing and shattering echoing through the house had both brothers jumping. Their eyes widened and Elijah paled drastically. "What in the hell was that?" he whispered, already following Cooper out of the kitchen.

Cooper shook his head, hands clenched into fists and heart pounding as he took the stairs two or three at a time, racing to Austin and Pippin's room.

Bursting into the room the two oldest Anderson's felt their mouths dropping in shock. Cooper felt the rage building inside of him as he looked around the destroyed room, the curtains ripped from the window, coloured pen adorning the walls, toys littering the floor. Most obvious though, was the ceiling fan dangling far lower than it should have been, Jude and Lucas clinging desperately to it as it rotated slowly creaking loudly as it did so. The other boys stood in a plaster dust cloud, pillows duct taped to their fronts and backs and buckets resting on their heads, mouths hung low in shock. A low whine from the ceiling had Lucas losing his grip, Jude's fingers slipping moments later as he fell on top of his older brother.

The sight of his younger brothers falling spurred Cooper into action as his anger at their stupidity bubbled over. Seething, he reached out to grab hold of Lucas, Jude, Bentley and Reed's arms, pulling them from the room with Elijah holding Austin, Pippin and Blaine and following grimly behind his older brother.

"This is hands down the most stupid, irresponsible, dangerous thing that you have ever done!" He roared, the kids now assembled sheepishly in the living room, Elijah stood silently behind Cooper. "One of you could have been seriously hurt. How did you not realise just how god damn reckless you were being?"

"Chill out dude, it was just a game," Austin sighed, rolling his eyes even as Lucas and Pippin groaned and sent him 'are you stupid' looks.

"Chill out? Chill out?" Cooper seethed, whirling round to look at the nine year old, the other brothers wincing and finding sudden interest in their feet. "Whose stupid idea was this?"

The younger brothers looked at each other for just a moment, the look of uncertainty flashing through each of their features.

"Reed."

"It wasn't me! It was Blaine."

"Nuuh, not me… Austin"

"Liar! It was Lucas."

"No way, it was totally Bentley's idea."

"Not me. It was Jude."

"Nope. Pippin's fault."

Cooper gritted his teeth, counting slowly to ten as the urge to murder them himself filled his body. Watching them start to fight, each pointing the finger at one of the others, he glanced to Elijah who simply shrugged in confusion. "Alright! If no one can give me a straight answer you're all going to be punished until I get one."

"The brothers who stick together win together," Pippin said, raising his chin in defiance even as Cooper pointed to the corner, the brothers each sighing and stalking over to cram into it, shoving at each other until Cooper yelled at them to stay still.

* * *

><p>"Coop, can we please get out of here? It's hot and it smells really bad," Austin whined, turning his head to look at Cooper and Elijah sat watching the younger brothers from the couch with bleak expressions.<p>

"Sorry," Bentley muttered shuffling when Reed glared at him.

Cooper looked to Elijah who simply raised an eyebrow. "Fine, younger twins room ASAP."

The boys rushed up the stairs, sitting on the twins' beds and eyeing each other warily. "What could he possibly want with us in here?" Jude questioned, scrunching his nose up and pulling Blaine onto his lap to spread out further on the bed.

"I don't know and I don't like it," Lucas sighed, glancing around the twins baby blue room, books and toys covering shelves along the walls along with Disney posters.

"We stick together though, right?" Reed questioned leaning his head on Bentley's shoulder.

"Right," They all echoed their grins fading as Cooper and Elijah entered the room holding black bin liners and buckets filled with some of their most prized possessions.

"Whose idea was it?" Cooper questioned eyebrow raised as he held Pippin's precious Star Wars R2D2 model above the black bag that a grim faced Elijah had open.

"You wouldn't dare…" Austin muttered eyes narrowing to slits as he glared at Cooper with the fiercest look a nine year old could muster.

"Just try me Austin. I repeat whose idea was it?" The younger brothers glanced to each other resolutely, sighing and folding their arms across their chests as they came to stand in front of Cooper and Elijah.

Cooper rolled his eyes, dropping the R2D2 model to Pippin's whine and picking up one of Lucas' vinyls. Catching sight of his 'Bohemian Rhapsody' vinyl Lucas squeaked, his arms dropping and brown eyes trebling in size, taking a step towards his older brother. "Not that one Coop! Please not that one."

Cooper simply raised his eyebrows again in question, Lucas sighing and stepping back, closing his eyes as the record hit the bottom of the bag and Cooper moved on to Jude's box. The eight year old stepped forward, whimpering as Cooper pulled out his box set of 'Goosebumps' books. The teenager pulled 'Let's Get Invisible' from the box set and looked back to Jude.

"Well Jude…"

The eight year old shook his head resolutely, throwing Cooper a dirty look for good measure when the book hit the black bag. "I didn't like that one in anyways," He sniffed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes until Blaine jabbed him in the side, eyes flying open to see Cooper now holding his battered copy of 'Night of the Living Dummy', "…wait no, no anything but that one!"

Cringing when it too hit the bag, Blaine took Jude's hand. The green eyed boy smiled softly at his younger brother as Blaine's teddy bear was pulled from the box, the four year old leaning into his older brother and glaring at Cooper.

* * *

><p>Staring mournfully at the three full black bags sat beside himself and Elijah twenty minutes later, Cooper sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Seriously guys are you kidding me, just tell me whose idea it was then you wouldn't all be going through this." Cooper growled in frustration when the younger troop simply refolded their arms and shook their heads in unison. "Argh!" He stomped from the room, a new plan forming in his head as Elijah followed behind, giving the younger brothers a warning look against getting into any more trouble.<p>

"What are you doing Coop? This is getting ridiculous," Elijah sighed, watching his older brother unplug his silver CD player and flick through some of the brothers joint CDs, crying out in triumph when he found the one he was looking for, holding the 'Disney' CD up for Elijah to see. "Coop, I'm pretty sure that is an actual form of torture," Elijah said following Cooper back up the stairs, "This is like the extremes of extremes just to find out whose stupid idea they were carrying out."

Cooper laughed softly, turning back to Elijah halfway up the stairs. "Elijah I've known whose idea it was since we first walked into that room, I'm just not about to let out four to twelve year old brothers beat me."

"What the hell Cooper?"

Cooper shrugged with a grin, beginning his ascent again. "Pillow fights with a twist is always Jude's idea, he has a rules list pinned on his wall and everything. Including the fan in the game is new as far as I'm aware though but he's ridiculously overprotective of that game so no one else can contribute rules."

"So what the hell is all this for?"

"I am not about to be outsmarted by my baby brothers, I'll never live that down," Cooper shook his head, plugging in the CD player and quickly finding the track he was looking for, pressing the repeat button and sinking down the wall, patting the space beside him for Elijah to drop into.

"You're insane," He muttered, sitting beside his older brother and angling the CD player closer to the little twins' bedroom door.

"Welcome to the family," Cooper laughed, picking up an errant baseball and starting to throw it up and down.

'It's a Small World' started to float through the door into the bedroom, the group of young brothers all stood in front of the door eyeing it up in disgust. "Cooper's kidding right? That's lame even for him," Pippin sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, the younger twins were huddled in the far corner of the room with Jude, Reed pacing around them with his hands crammed over his ears and the older twins and Lucas sat behind the door glaring steadfastly at it. Jude sighed, shaking his head as Blaine burrowed further into his sweatshirt and Bentley whined about making it stop. Carefully, he unclipped Blaine's twisted overalls and reclipped them properly, straightening his purple bow tie and murmuring soothingly to each of the twins, occasionally stopping himself when he found that he was automatically humming 'It's a Small World.'<p>

"Will this never stop?" Austin yelled, flinging an arm out. His arm caught on a basketball ornament that had been given to the twins when they were born by one of their father's co-workers, sending it spiralling to the floor and shattering into hundreds of different pieces. "Oops."

"We're going to die!" Reed screeched, staring at the broken ornament on the floor.

"It was ugly," Blaine muttered, scrunching up his nose as Bentley nodded in agreement.

Lucas squeezed each of the twins' shoulders gently before shaking his head at Reed, the young boy evidently panicking. "No we're not, just do what I do." The twelve year old grinned, starting to dance in circles around the room, pointedly avoiding the spot where the ornament had broken, and singing the lyrics in time with the song at the top of his lungs.

Looking at each other and giggling slightly, the younger brothers started to follow Lucas on his prance around the room, bouncing over the bed and spinning in circles as they all began to sing.

Sat outside the room, Elijah was banging his head off of the wall, "Cooper this is damn well painful. _I'm_ losing my mind let alone them." Cooper nodded, grimacing when the song started up again. Hearing the singing starting to filter through the door Elijah's mouth dropped in shock, "Are they? They're actually singing along? Are they for real?"

The blue eyes teenager stood up, swinging the door open to reveal the horde of young brothers dancing in circles and singing as loud and off key as they could. "This isn't working Lij," Ignoring Elijah's 'no kidding' look, Cooper scrubbed his hands over his face again. "It's divide and conquer time," He sighed, moving into the room

* * *

><p>"Divide and conquer Coop, really?" Elijah sighed, shaking his head as Cooper set up the kitchen table, muttering under his breath.<p>

"This has to work Lij. I'm not going to lose, go and get Pippin first would you?"

"You've officially lost the plot," Elijah called over his shoulder, ducking the empty coke can Cooper sent flying towards him with a laugh.

Cooper smiled gently at Pippin, ignoring Elijah sat at the breakfast bar snickering silently. Carefully opening a Diet Coke can, he slid it across the table to Pippin, grinning when the boy took a drink. "Look Pip, I know that this wasn't your idea. You're a good kid." In the background Elijah's head thumped onto the breakfast bar, shoulders shaking with the effort to stay silent at Cooper's sickly sweet voice. "But I need you to help me find out who it was. Someone could have been hurt Pippin."

"Cooper, I'm being honest. I have no idea who it was," Pippin shrugged, features schooled into that of pure innocence.

"Come on Pip, you have to have some idea, just a little inkling."

"Nope sorry," Pippin smiled, sliding from his seat and grabbing the can, "Do you want me to send down someone else now?"

Cooper rolled his eyes irritably, "Send down Reed Pippin, but you know it would be better if you just let me know who it was."

The nine year old waved over his shoulder, Elijah finally losing it the second that he left the room, only quietening again when Reed entered taking the seat that Pippin had just left.

"Hey Reedy," Cooper smiled, sliding a fresh can across to the younger brother, and trying to overlook Reed's wary eyes. "You know Reed, you've always been one of the best brothers."

"Uh-huh," He answered, tilting his head slightly to scrutinise Cooper.

"I just need a name Reed, just one itty bitty name."

Reed just grinned at his brother, pushing the can back towards him, "I don't know who did it Coop, I can't help you sorry." Swinging out of the seat the mop haired boy turned back to his brother, "Who do you want now?"

"Send Blaine."

Cooper sighed as the boy flounced from the room, thundering up the stairs moments later. "This sucks, they're way too good at this. Also remind me that I really need to take Reed for a haircut this week he's looking ridiculous." Standing up, he moved to tip his glass of water on the hysterical Elijah, laughing at the sputtering he left in his wake and heading to the sink to refill the glass.

"If you're not careful Coop I'll join their side," Elijah threatened, rubbing the dishtowel over his face and hair.

"You wouldn't," Cooper sing-songed beaming when Blaine poked his head around the kitchen door. "Blainers! Take a seat Squirt." Blaine shot him a look before looking uncertainly at Elijah. The middle brother present smiled softly at the baby of the family and pushed Blaine towards the chair.

Cooper placed the packet of cookie dough in front of Blaine the moment that Elijah ushered him into the seat, the four year old's eyes lighting up instantly. "To get this Blaine, all you have to do is tell me whose idea that game was."

"No thank you."

"Come on Blaine, I know that you love cookie dough and this could be all yours. Just for you."

"No thank you," The four year old repeated, voice wavering and eyes glued to the cookie dough on Cooper's side of the table.

"It's just one name Blainey boo, that's all I need."

"Brothers stick together Coopy. You say that," Blaine smiled, pushing the cookie dough further towards Cooper and bouncing away from the table back upstairs.

Banging his head on the table, Cooper glared at the snickering Elijah. "Right, last resort time. And stop laughing Lij."

"I can't help it. You're getting your ass kicked by a bunch of pre-teens," Elijah snickered.

Growling, Cooper pushed his brother towards the door. "Just get them into the living room."

* * *

><p>Elijah's eyes widened as he shepherded the boys into the family room, Bentley up on his hip after refusing to walk back down the stairs. Cooper was sat with god knows how many of the boys VHS tapes littered around him, scissors and a mallet sat close by and a sheet under the TV.<p>

"Cooper what are you doing?" Lucas questioned eyes wide and eyeing up Cooper's pile from where the boys had come to an abrupt stop.

Cooper calmly picked up the first tape, one of the two copies the family owned of 'Aladdin'. "This is the absolute last resort and not one I like the thought of myself." Popping open the case, he pulled the video out, lifting the top plastic and sliding a finger under the tape with a raised eyebrow. "Who?"

"Are you crazy?" Reed screeched, pulling at his hair as all of the brothers watched Cooper pick up the spare scissors in horror.

"Who?"

The younger brothers glanced around each other once more, Bentley wriggling from a stunned Elijah's arms to stand beside his brothers once more. Folding their arms across their chest, the brothers all moulded their faces into defiant looks once more, shaking their heads at Cooper.

Cooper kept a close watch on each of them before eventually sighing and winding the video back up, placing it back into it's case and back with the rest of the pile. "I give up I officially give up. I've tried everything that every nanny tried on us and I officially just give up," Cooper moaned, flopping onto the sofa with a groan and flinging one arm across his eyes.

"That means we win right?" Austin smirked, smirk only growing when Cooper nodded. "Excellent." One look from the younger twin and instantly the younger brothers erupted, seeming to be everywhere all at once, Elijah failing to keep up with all of them, sure that they were multiplying.

* * *

><p>"Are they asleep?" Elijah whimpered, paint streaked down one cheek and his hair in complete disarray.<p>

"Shhh," Cooper muttered. He silently pointed to the floor where all of the younger brothers were curled up, Bentley mumbling in his sleep and rolling on top of Blaine who groaned quietly.

The front door slamming suddenly had them both gasping in horror and shock, Noah appearing in the room moments later, skateboard in hand, "What's up?"

Clutching Cooper's hand tightly, Elijah turned to look at the younger brothers, heart clenching with dread when he saw that they were all now wide awake once more, mischievous grins fluttering across Austin and Pippin's faces.

"Here we go again," Cooper murmured, closing his eyes and squeezing Elijah's hand reassuringly.

"Lets play cowboys and Indians!" Pippin yelled, eyes lighting up as he darted from the room.

"Yeah! We even have sling shots and bows!"

The oldest brother hastily sprung to his feet, chasing the twins past Noah, "No! No sling shots, no bow and arrows! Or this time the TV and the videos will be in for it. We are settling down to watch a film and that is the end of it."

"What did I miss?" Noah laughed, throwing himself onto the nearest couch and dropping his skateboard at his feet, absentmindedly rolling it back and forth gently.

Elijah shot him a dirty look, groaning and falling onto his back again. Finding the wind knocked out of him moments later he laughed as the younger twins situated themselves on his chest, Blaine leaning forwards to press a kiss to his nose.


End file.
